Puppy Dies of Coyote Attack in Wheaton

A Yorkshire terrier puppy was found dead Saturday after a coyote attack in unincorporated Wheaton, NBC Chicago reports.

A pack of coyotes Thursday night attacked two small dogs in their owner's backyard in the Arrowhead Estates. One of the dogs, a 12-year-old silky terrier, survived, but suffered severe puncture wounds.

The dogs' owner saw the attack and retrieved Jake, the silky terrier, but did not see Floyd, the puppy. Floyd was still missing Friday. Police notified the owner of the dog's death on Saturday, according to NBC Chicago.

The dogs' owner said four to six coyotes surrounded Jake, a 12-year-old silky terrier and Floyd, a 15-month-old Yorkshire terrier in the backyard of their home on Mohican Drive, near Herrick Lake in the Arrowhead Estates neighborhood, according to the Daily Herald.

Jake survived the attack but suffered severe puncture wounds, according to the Daily Herald. The dogs' owner told the Herald the coyotes surrounded Jake and bit him several times before fleeing. She ran, screaming, toward the pack and retrieved Jake, but did not see Floyd.

The city of Wheaton in 2010 adopted a coyote policy to change and adapt coyote behavior to different forms of human interaction. The Chicago area has seen a significant increase in the coyote population since the 1990s, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources estimates there are more than 30,000 coyotes in Illinois, according to the city's website.

The city's policy includes the following recommendations for deterring a coyote:

• Make eye contact and yell at the coyote(s)
• Wave your arms to appear as large as possible
• Use a noisemaker or a whistle
• Throw things at the coyote
• Clap your hands
• Run toward the coyote to scare it
• Act threatening
• Spray a hose toward the coyote.

The coyotes will learn to avoid places there they feel uncomfortable, according to the city's website.

To report a coyote sighting, go to the City of Wheaton website.

Related:

• After Coyote Attack, Resident Urges Others to Know Wheaton Policy Coyote